“Distract” because we are not counting on or valuing interdependence, or better, mutuality. We are defending our wealth, independence, and individual talent. Yet, $ enables so much of what we do, independently and together. It can’t be all bad, can it?

In many ways, the undercurrent of this American election season is about independence vs mutuality, the former bouyed by the currency of $, the latter enabled by the currency of empathy. I believe the answer lies in a system which values and counts both rather than tries to dig in on one side or the other.

Why? The most innovative organizations I know create economic abundance AND mutuality/inclusion, which reinforce each other. I will share more about how in future posts. In the meantime, what do you think: is it possible and productive to value the currency of $ AND the currency of empathy?

One Response to “Currency of $ vs Currency of Empathy”

Jackie, I love this! Henry Levin, from Teachers College at Columbia University straddles a similar divide in educational policy research. While there’s not usually much overlap between researchers writing from a prescriptive social justice orientation and those taking the quantitative economics-informed approach, he’s made a career of considering both and figuring out how to quantify the benefits of educational equity.